Nepos
|religion = |occupation = , , |type of appearance = Direct}}Nepos was a priest of Phos and a chair in sorcery at the Videssian Academy. He was a short chubby man with a shaved head and full beard and quick thoughtful mind.See, e.g., Videssos Cycle: Volume One, pg. 91. As a scholar of magic, Nepos was interested in meeting the newly arrived "Ronams" both for their own sake and to investigate how they were magically transported to Videssos. He got his chance more quickly than expected when he physically bumped into a distracted Marcus Scaurus. Given the time of day, Scaurus invited Nepos to supper at his barracks which was accepted. He joined Scaurus along with several of his officers, Viridovix, and Gorgidas and peppered them with questions. Gorgidas commented that he talked more like a historian than a priest which puzzled Nepos since he felt he talked as himself and nothing else. Nepos also asked to see the two swords that brought them to Videssos. Scaurus and Viridovix reluctantly agreed but Scaurus also suggested that they be examined one at a time so they wouldn't be accidentally crossed. All agreed that that was a reasonable precaution and so Scaurus drew his sword and passed it to Nepos. He examined it carefully but was perplexed he did not sense any surges of magic. It was a plain longsword but he noticed the runes on it asked about them. Scaurus indicated his was a spoil of war and he could not read it while Viridovix was somewhat embarrassed to confess that among his people only the druids could read so he could not say what the letters meant either. He absentmindedly drew his own sword to show it was similarly marked but immediately both swords started to glow in gleaming gold. The two succeeded with some difficulty to sheath the resisting swords and the glow disappeared. Nepos had broken out in a sweat and shakenly described the sudden sense of magical power. He soon left the barracks to return to the Academy.Ibid, pgs. 91-95. Nepos was surprised to see Scaurus, looking grim, enter the Academy refectory early one morning several days later. In reply to the question what brought him, Scaurus dropped the remains of a fire scarred dagger in front of him and told how a Khamorth nomad had tried to assassinate him with it earlier that morning. Nepos declared "Skotos is among us!" and set off to the barracks to question the nomad. He cleared the barracks of all but the bound nomad, Gorgidas to assist him and two unconscious Roman sentries. He soon revived the guards and sent them out of the hall while he question the nomad. Using a decoction of henbane to loosen his tongue, Nepos discovered that the nomad had been enchanted by Avshar, the Yezd ambassador who Scaurus had defeated in a duel some days earlier. He also discovered that Avshar had bound a demon to the blade and if it had just pricked Scaurus it would have sucked out his soul and taken it to the deepest pits of Skotos' hell. The soul of the nomad was also linked to the demon and when it was destroyed by Phos' sunlight the nomad's life was lost and he was dying. Nepos could do nothing for him but Avshar's actions forfeited the protection he enjoyed as an envoy and he could be arrested.Ibid, pgs. 106-109. References